There is still so much alpha in learning to code it’s unbelievable

Computers are the most powerful tools to exist in the history of humanity. Sadly most people are mere consumers of these machines.

Only a relative few -- the professional software developer -- can use this superpower to its fullest extent. It’s creating an unbalanced world where there are programmers, and then there are those who are programmed

The situation is analogous to literacy before the printing press, where only the powerful had access to books and written communication.

The invention of the printing press led to democratic, scientific, and industrial revolutions, but it took about a century from creation to revolution, which meant that an entire generation of people to grow up with new skills, outlooks, and ways of learning and communicating.

When there is widespread code literacy, I believe that it will transform humanity again and perhaps in more radical ways.

It's hard to imagine what the world will look like when there is a generation of people who grew up with computer superpowers. But we can be sure about a few things:

1/ Technological power will be decentralized: When everyone can code, there will be less reliance on power centers to manage all information technology. Power centers like Silicon Valley will decentralize into internet communities.

2/ Wealth will be more distributed: When people have the tools to create and participate in the global digital economy, they will have the ability to lift themselves out of poverty.

3/ Software will be more local: No one knows better what a community needs other than the community itself. Instead of a handful of giant companies creating the software for everyone in the world, we'll see more personal and community-grown software.

4/ Education will be transformed: When people can be economically productive much earlier in life, education systems will change to become more tailored to individuals and more pragmatic.

5/ Institutions will be more democratic: Totalitarian regimes have relied on technological supremacy since the beginning of time to subject people. But when people have agency over technology, the power balance will improve.

We happen to be at absolutely the right time to be attempting to create systems to increase computing literacy and give people digital superpowers:

1/ Cloud computing allows us to deliver collaborative and powerful tools wirelessly and at very little cost to the user

2/ With advent of satellite internet we're quickly approaching universal connectivity.

3/ Low-end devices are getting more affordable by the year, nearly free, and very close to universal computer access.

4/ Bitcoin and fintech allows users to easily generate and hold wealth on the internet.

5/ Schools and governments are starting to understand the need for coding literacy.

At @Replit we will bring the next billion software creators online, and will accelerate the shift towards a world where software and the internet are truly The Great Equalizer.

Soon anyone, regardless of place or economic status, will be able to create software and generate wealth on the internet. If we’re successful, anyone who's willing to learn and generate good ideas will be wealthy.

Join us

Careers at Replit

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